Creating with Roots: Contemporary Chinese National Folk Dance Choreography
Creating with Roots: Contemporary Chinese National Folk Dance Choreography
by Rui Xu
translated by Emily Wilcox
University of Michigan Press, 2025
ISBNs
Cloth: 978-0-472-07715-1
Paper: 978-0-472-05715-3
eISBN: 978-0-472-90479-2 (OA)
About the Book
Creating with Roots is a critical introduction to the history, theory, and creative practice of Chinese national folk dance, the Chinese-speaking world’s most popular contemporary dance form. A complex cultural and artistic phenomenon that resists simple categorization, Chinese national folk dance merges folkloric material with contemporary stage aesthetics and blends rural folk dances of the Han majority with dances representing China’s minoritized ethnic communities, bridging cultural differences of geography, economic class, and ethnicity. As such, Chinese national folk dance has become a lightning rod for current debates in the arts worldwide—how to balance local heritage with artistic innovation, how to maintain cultural integrity amid commercialization and Eurocentrism, and the ethics of representation in contemporary multiculturalism. Chinese national folk dance is increasingly a globalized phenomenon: schools, classes, competitions, and performances of professionals and amateurs now exist all across the world. Originally published in Chinese and authored by prominent Chinese dance scholar, Rui Xu, this English translation will be an essential resource for the global conversation about how dancers and choreographers navigate tradition and innovation in contemporary national folk dance choreography.
Creating with Roots offers a detailed breakdown of key terms and concepts necessary for understanding Chinese national folk dance and analyzes 37 examples of choreography dating from the 1940s to 2000. The author situates these explanations within the longer history of cultural practice and theory in China and in relation to the international dance discourses of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and North America.
Creating with Roots offers a detailed breakdown of key terms and concepts necessary for understanding Chinese national folk dance and analyzes 37 examples of choreography dating from the 1940s to 2000. The author situates these explanations within the longer history of cultural practice and theory in China and in relation to the international dance discourses of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and North America.
About the Author
Rui Xu is President of the Beijing Dance Academy and a leading dance scholar, critic, director, and producer in China.
Emily Wilcox is Margaret Hamilton Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary. She is coeditor of Corporeal Politics: Dancing East Asia (University of Michigan Press).
Emily Wilcox is Margaret Hamilton Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary. She is coeditor of Corporeal Politics: Dancing East Asia (University of Michigan Press).
Reviews
“Creating with Roots remains an indispensable contribution to Chinese dance historiography and a key text for understanding how embodied practices shape and reflect national identity.”
— Yao Xu, Dance Chronicle“Rui Xu’s authoritative book on contemporary Chinese national folk dance choreography is historical, comparative, and solidly rooted in his understandings of the Chinese tradition and culture and their Western counterparts of dance theory and history. Readers of all backgrounds will enjoy this fascinating account of a global stage of Chinese dance, its history, debates, artistic heritage, and universal appeals.”— Xiaomei Chen, author of Performing the Socialist State: Modern Chinese Theater and Film Culture
“This translation is a welcome, timely contribution to dance studies and China studies.”— Nan Ma, author of When Words Are Inadequate: Modern Dance and Transnationalism in China
"Timely and accessible, this book offers an in-depth exploration of how Chinese national folk dance has emerged and transformed as both an art form and a cultural expression over the past eight decades. With its practical relevance and engaging writing style, the book serves as a resource for practitioners, educators, and scholars who wish to understand the ongoing negotiations between tradition and modernity in Chinese dance."— Yang Zhao, Journal of Dance Education
Tags
Choreography, Choreographers, Folk dancing, Choreography & Dance Notation, Dance, China, Social life and customs, Asia, Performing Arts, 20th century, History
Open Access Information
Label: Beijing Dance Academy 70th Anniversary Book Series
License: CC BY-NC
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